Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medalists of 2016

Honorands whose contributions to society emerged from graduate study

From left: John O’Malley, Cecilia Rouse, David Mumford, and Francis Fukuyama

Photograph by Tony Rinaldo/Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medal, first awarded in 1989 on the occasion of the school’s hundredth anniversary, honors alumni who have made contributions to society that emerged from their graduate studies. It is the highest honor the Graduate School bestows, and awardees include some of Harvard’s most accomplished alumni. The 2016 recipients, announced at a ceremony on May 25, are: Francis Fukuyama, Ph.D. ’81, a political scientist, political economist, and author; David Mumford ’57, Ph.D. ’61, a theoretical and applied mathematician who studies visual perception; John O’Malley, Ph.D. ’65, a priest, professor of theology, and historian of early modern Catholicism; and Cecilia Rouse ’86, Ph.D. ’92, an economist who served as adviser to two presidents and is now dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton. For more about the honorands, see harvardmag.com/centennial-16.

You might also like

The School of Public Health, Facing a Financial Reckoning, Seizes the Chance to Reinvent Itself

Dean Andrea Baccarelli plans for a smaller, more impactful Chan School of 2030.

Harvard Kennedy School Unveils American Service Fellowship

Will fund degrees for 50 public servants and military veterans

John Goldberg Named Dean of Harvard Law School

A professor at HLS since 2008, he steps up from the interim role.

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Harvard’s New Playbook for Teaching with AI

Faculty across Harvard are rethinking assignments to integrate AI. 

How Maga Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Explore More From Current Issue

Aerial view of a landscaped area with trees and seating, surrounded by buildings and parking.

Landscape Architect Julie Bargmann Transforming Forgotten Urban Sites

Julie Bargmann and her D.I.R.T. Studio give new life to abandoned mines, car plants, and more.

Two small cast iron pans with berry-topped desserts, dusted with powdered sugar, alongside lemon slices.

Shopping for New England-Made Gifts This Holiday Season

Ways to support regional artists, designers, and manufacturers 

Two women in traditional Japanese clothing sitting on a wooden platform near a tranquil pond, surrounded by autumn foliage.

Japan as It Never Will Be Again

Harvard’s Stillman collection showcases glimpses of the Meiji era.